


rage, feral and wild

by sweet westerlies (emblems)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fic amnesty, First Aid, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Injuries, Post-Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2020-01-23 04:49:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18542599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emblems/pseuds/sweet%20westerlies
Summary: yaku continues: "of all of us, i should be the last person—" he stops, pinching the bridge of his nose as he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "i can understand wanting to protect the younger ones. i get that, you know i do." it's a conversation they've had more than once, even, on nights like this—where the fire was low and the others were asleep. "but i'm—i can handle myself. you don't have to risk yourself for my sake."kuroo decided to be noble. yaku doesn't appreciate it.





	rage, feral and wild

**Author's Note:**

> written during sportsfest 2018, for [this prompt.](https://sportsfest.dreamwidth.org/8539.html?thread=964699#cmt964699) i couldn't resist the kuroyaku. this is, per the tags, an incredibly vague apocalypse au, with everyone having their canon backgrounds. 
> 
> title is from the poem found in the link above.

the others were asleep, having nodded off one-by-one, knowing kuroo and yaku would wake them at the soonest sign of trouble.  
  
it means that the fireside chatter and bickering faded some time ago, leaving the two of them in silence.  
  
it's just as well, because yaku looks incredibly focused at the moment, trying to stitch up the wound on kuroo's leg.  
  
"why didn't you say something sooner, dumbass," he mutters. he doesn't say it like a question; kuroo isn't sure if that's because he doesn't want to hear kuroo's answer, or because he already knows what kuroo would say.  
  
both are pretty likely, but kuroo gives it a shot anyway: "i—"  
  
"don't answer that," yaku says. "and stop staring at me, you're gonna make me nervous."  
  
kuroo looks away, shifting his gaze upward to look at where kenma and lev are tucked against each other, sleeping soundly. he waits a moment before he tries again: "you really don't want the answer?"  
  
"it's going to be something you think was noble but was really just stupid," yaku replies, "i don't need to know the details."  
  
kuroo sighs. "you know it was because i didn't want to worry anyone."  
  
"no, you just decide to risk making things worse for yourself, which would only make everyone worry anyway," yaku says. "but, yeah, that's what i figured." his next stitch has a bit more force behind it, and kuroo winces.  
  
"i didn't think it would be a big deal, and it isn't," he says. "just a cut."  
  
"a cut that could get infected," yaku shoots back. his hands still, and kuroo looks down. yaku is finished, hands lingering on kuroo's leg, eyes still fixed on the wound.  
  
it was a neat job—clean, considering this was only the third or fourth time yaku has stitched a wound.  
  
"i'm sorry," kuroo says after a long moment.  
  
yaku begins packing up the first aid kit, letting the noises fill the silence instead of immediately responding.  
  
finally: "why did you do that?"  
  
kuroo blinks. "i told you, i didn't—"  
  
"no, not—" yaku sighs, finally looks up to meet kuroo's eyes. "why did you jump in front of me like that?"  
  
kuroo considers his words. "was i supposed to just stand there while a guy with a knife charged you?"  
  
yaku scoffed. "i knew it."  
  
kuroo frowns. "no, really, yakkun, was i supposed to just watch?"  
  
"you're supposed to know i can take care of myself!" yaku says. kenma stirs, and they both whip their heads around to make sure he hasn't woken.  
  
a moment passes—kenma stays asleep.  
  
more hushed this time, yaku continues: "of all of us, i should be the last person—" he stops, pinching the bridge of his nose as he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "i can understand wanting to protect the younger ones. i get that, you know i do." it's a conversation they've had more than once, even, on nights like this—where the fire was low and the others were asleep. "but i'm—i can handle myself. you don't have to risk yourself for my sake."  
  
kuroo stands, ignoring the twinge in his leg—though yaku's eyes flicker down to the stitches before returning to kuroo's face—and says: "are you saying you wouldn't do the same for me?"  
  
yaku grits his teeth. "that's different."  
  
" _how_ , yaku? how is that any different?"  
  
"do you not realize we wouldn't have lasted two weeks without you?" yaku hisses, clearly straining to keep his voice low. kuroo tries to answer, but the words don't come, and yaku doesn't seem inclined to stop anyway: "if not for you, we would have all split off ages ago and gotten picked off by one of the gangs scavenging their way through tokyo right now."  
  
yaku's face is dark, and kuroo can't tell if it's his anger or the way the fire burns behind him, casting shadows on his face and making him seem so much older than he is. yaku's hands are clenched into fists, but even that can't fully conceal the fact that they're shaking.  
  
kuroo doesn't remember ever seeing yaku this angry—yaku's outbursts aren't exactly uncommon, but this is something different. this isn't telling off lev for being careless with rations or telling yamamoto to keep his voice down, this is—  
  
kuroo doesn't know what it is, just that yaku is incandescent with it.  
  
finally, he finds his words. "maybe that's true," he starts, "but you're forgetting something."  
  
"and what's that?" yaku asks, eyes narrowing.  
  
"that i wouldn't have lasted two weeks without you."  
  
yaku's eyes widen. "i—that's not—"  
  
"i really cannot believe you're arguing with me about this after personally stitching up my leg, after you just told me i'm an idiot."  
  
"you're—"  
  
"insufferable, i know," kuroo says. despite himself, despite the frustration still evident on yaku's face, he can't help but smile. he steps forward and puts a hand on yaku's shoulder. "but i'm right, and you can't convince me otherwise, yakkun."  
  
the quiet between them stretches on, only the sound of the fire filling the silence. finally, yaku groans, letting his head fall to kuroo's chest. "you really are insufferable."  
  
"are you going to keep repeating me or are we going to redo our route like we planned?"  
  
"just go get the map, kuroo."


End file.
